Return idler for cord conveyer belts



Nov. 10, 1953 w. F. BANKAUF RETURN IDLER FOR CORD CONVEYEIR BELTS Filed June 27 1950 INVENTOR.

W/'/// 'c7/77 [Ban/r0117 ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 10, i953 .RETURNIDLERFOR CORD CONVEYER BELTS William F. 'Bankau'fliflast Paterson,:N.;J :assignor toHewitte-Robins Incorporated, :Buffalo, N.. .Y., .-a. corporation of New York iApplicationJune'fil, 1950;Serial NO. 170579 '15 Claims. 1 In-the operation of conveyorbelts of which the upper or load carrying run is supported "-by troughing idlers, it is found that the trough shape thereby imparted to the belt ten'cls to persist .and

to be retained to "some extent in :the lower or 1 return run of the belt. This is particularly true of so-called cord belts. The result of this residual troughing, as it istermed herein, is that the usual cylindrical :i'dlers whichsupport the return run of 'the belt are apt -=to be engaged :solely by the edges or marginal portions of the belt and, in course of time, considerable :wearensues. Fun thermore, the degree of residual troughing or bowing' persi'sting :in the return run of various belts 'or under difierent'conditions is not constant.

The object of the present invention is'to provide a return idler organization which is adapted to alleviate the foregoing difficulty and 'which, in whatrnay be a .single,.standard construction, is readily adjustable to provide adequate support forlthe return runs sof .belts having varying degrees of residual troughing.

The invention-will'be readily understood from the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig.1 is a front elevationfof r0118 form of;construction embodying the invention fviewed lengthwise of the belt;

:Fig. '2 is a side elevation viewed'aas ongtheline Iii-1110f Fig. 1

:Fig. '3 is ta" side elevation of za'zmodified form; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line IVIV of Fig. 3.

In general, the invention contemplates the use of axially aligned, spaced idlers for engagement by the marginal portions only of a belt and, intermediate such idlers and horizontally spaced from them, idler means for engagement by the central or intervening portion of the belt. In such arrangement the edge portions of the belt are idlersupported on one idler axis and the intervening portion of the belt is idler-supported on a different idler axis; and, by adjustment of these two axes in relation to one another, the idlers and idler means are raised or lowered, respectively, and thereby accommodated to different curvatures of the belt.

In the form of the invention exemplified in Figs. 1 and 2, relatively short, coned idlers l, 2 are carried by a shaft 3. These idlers are mounted adjacent the remote ends of the shaft and spaced to provide support for the edge portions of a belt 4. On a second shaft 5, parallel to but horizontally spaced from the shaft 3, are idler discs 6, 1, 8, 9, preferably of diameters some- What larger than that of the coned idlers, so that .12 the coned idlersiand at :leastgsome of the idler discs :provide support .for "the :belt :through .the width of its .arched .section.

It will .be apparent that ;by, adjusting the relativesvertical positions of thezshaits il-andfi, ofusupportaifordediby the: tops of the cone and the-idler, discscan. be caused to .conform'sufih ciently closely to ;diiferentcdesrees of curvatuie of theibeltas to :spreadzits weight over the differentzsupporting components and thereby avoid the wear-iincident togthe belt ;bearing.at its edges only.

:this formbf the: invention, the idler shafts areacarriedby, a .cradle which is freeto-rock. about a pivot axis vextending between theshafts. The cradlegstruoture, shafts, and idler elements are in substantial balance with-respectto the pivot-axis andthezaction of the .belt itself,,if of-such curva- 3111135215 to-bear :unduly on :theconed idlers, or on theidler jdiscs, -,servesto :rock .the cradle and raise into supportingpositionthose idlerielements with which it was making little or no contact.

-Asshown, the, shafts f3, :5 are amounted in pairs of oppositely .disposedabrackets W ll which dependfrom .craollesdipivoted on pins is which aregshownasssupported from hanger ibrackets l secured .toxthe usual ,stringers 15. .A belt of greater than average curvature, tendingwto enggageionly .the coned idlers, will rock the cradle about thejaxis ,of pins :l-sin a.:direction to raise the idler. discs ,into ,i-belt engaging position; and, conversely, a belt of less than average curvature, tending to engage only the disc idlers, will rock the cradle in the opposite direction to raise the coned idlers.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 3 and 4, provision is made for manually adjusting the relative positions of the idler shafts and looking them in any desired position. As in the previous form, brackets I6, ll are provided for supporting the two shafts which carry the coned idlers and idler discs, respectively; and these brackets are similarly carried by cradles mounted to rock about the axis of bolts it by which the cradles are supported from hanger brackets 26. The heads of bolts 23, 22 carried by the cradles l3 bear against the hanger brackets and, by adjustment of these bolts, the cradles can be rocked to raise or lower the respective idler elements to accommodate them to the curvature of the particular belt. Nuts 23, 24 may be provided for locking the bolts in any desired position of adjustment.

It will be understood that the two described embodiments of the invention are illustrative only and that the principles of the invention can be applied in a variety of forms within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a conveyor system including an endless belt, the improvement which comprises a pair of brackets disposed opposite to one another adjacent the lateral limits of the path of travel of the return run of the belt; axially aligned pivot supports for the brackets located below the said path of travel of the return run of the belt; a pair of parallel idler shafts also located below the said path of travel of the return run of the belt and supported by said brackets on opposite sides of the pivot axis of the brackets; spaced support idlers for the marginal portions of 'the under surface of the said lower run mounted adjacent the remote ends of one of the shafts; and spaced idler discs for supporting intermediate portions of the under surface of the said return run mounted on the other shaft intermediate the first-mentioned idlers.

2. In a conveyor system including an endless belt, the improvement which comprises a pair of brackets disposed opposite to one another adjacent the lateral limits of the path of travel of the return run of the belt; axially aligned pivot supports for the brackets located below the said path of travel of the return run of the belt; a pair of parallel idler shafts also located below the said path of travel of the return run of the belt and supported by said brackets on opposite sides of the pivot axis of the brackets; spaced support idlers for the marginal portions of the under surface of the said lower run mounted adjacent the remote ends of one of the shafts; and idler means for supporting the intermediate portion of the under surface of the said return run mounted on the other shaft intermediate the first-mentioned idlers; said brackets, shafts, idlers and idler means being substantially balanced with reference to the pivot axis of the brackets.

3. In a conveyor system including an endless belt, the improvement which comprises a pair of brackets disposed opposite to one another adjacent the lateral limits of the path of travel of the return run of the belt; axially aligned pivot supports for the brackets located below the said path of travel of the return run of the belt; a pair of parallel idler shafts also located below the said path of travel of the return run of the belt and supported by said brackets on opposite sides of the pivot axis of the brackets; support idlers for the marginal portions of the under surface of the said lower run mounted adjacent the remote ends of one of the shafts; idler means for supporting the intermediate portion of the under surface of the said return run mounted on the other shaft intermediate the first-mentioned idlers; and adjustable means locking the brackets against rocking about their pivot axis.

4. In a conveyor system including an endless belt, the improvement which comprises a pair of horizontal, closely spaced parallel shafts mounted below the path of travel of the return run of the belt; return run supporting idlers adjacent the remote ends of one of the shafts; return run supporting idler means on the other shaft intermediate the idlers; and journal shaft supports relatively adjustable to maintain both the idlers and the idler means in contact with the belt under different degrees of residual troughing.

5. In a conveyor system including an endless belt, the improvement which comprises a pair of axially aligned spaced idlers; journal means supporting the idlers beneath and adjacent the marginal portions of the path of travel of the return run of the belt; idler means intermediate the said idlers; journal means supporting the idler means for rotation about an axis parallel to and adjacent the axis of the idlers and beneath the intermediate portion of the path of travel of the return run of the belt; and supporting means for both said journal means, said supporting means being relatively adjustable to maintain both the idlers and the idler means in contact with the belt under different degrees of residual troughing.

WILLIAM F. BANKAUF.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 373,389 Creager Nov. 15, 1887 417,512 Rosquist Dec. 17, 1889 1,312,525 Du Brul Aug. 12, 1919 2,052,900 Searles et al. Sept. 1, 1936 2,179,187 Kendall Nov. 7, 1939 2,514,715 Milik July 11, 1950 2,568,174 Staacke Sept. 18, 1951 

